Guitar Man is a classy album from Bread which provided David Gates with reason enough to go solo. Just listen to "Aubrey" to hear how the producer/singer/songwriter could create a strong track with little or no help from his fellow musicians. On the other hand, two of his strongest songs, "Sweet Surrender" and "The Guitar Man," are totally products of a band in a groove. The three hits failed to break the Top Ten, though the title track came close, one notch away. It and the sublime "Sweet Surrender" both topped the adult contemporary charts in 1972, while "Aubrey" followed those two titles, going Top 15 itself in early 1973. ~ Joe Viglione